Before Twitter was available, President Harry Truman backed his daughter the old-fashioned way. Truman sent an angry letter to a Washington Post music critic who wrote a less than favorable review of one of Margaret Truman’s concerts.

After the concert, Paul Hume wrote that she “cannot sing very well.” Truman responded by sending a note to him on White House stationery, dated Dec. 6, 1950, calling it a “lousy review.” He added: “Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below!”

Katherine Jellison, head of the history department at Ohio University, asked: “If Twitter had existed in those days, would Harry Truman have tweeted the critic instead of writing a letter?”